Apple Watch Series 4 a 'tipping point,' can make a 'material difference' for people, says ...

The Series 4, revealed on Sept. 12, "will be a more marked tipping point in understanding and adoption" of the Apple Watch, chief design officer Jony Ive said in an interview published on Thursday.

"Every bone in my body tells me this is very significant," he remarked to the Washington Post.

"I'm so zealous about the [Apple] Watch because I see it as making a material difference to people's quality of life and actually their ability to be alive," Ive added on the Watch line in general. The designer noted that as the product has evolved, he has read "thousands" of letters from people who said it saved their lives, whether by detecting medical problems or letting them contact others in an emergency.

The Series 4 contains a few health-related improvements, but most notably an FDA-approved EKG sensor which combines touch points on the base and the digital crown. Other upgrades include fall detection, and fitness-related changes such as automatic workout detection.

Ive noted that the bigger screen on the Series 4 doesn't break his or Apple's view that the Watch helps free people from their electronics.

"The screen size isn't so expansive that you somehow feel you'll fill every minute browsing whatever you browse, whether it's your social media. It addresses that functional imperative of being able to be in touch," he said.

Preorders for the Series 4 start on Friday ahead of a Sept. 21 release date.

Comments

People are just jumping on board with Apple Watch. We're starting to see them pop up everywhere and it's about to go into overdrive mode.

As always, Apple picked just the right time to announce and launch this model. We are living in the height off Apple Watch adoption. You're gonna see a lot more of these soon. Don't be surprised if you see them everywhere you go post-Holiday 2018!

”Apple Watch. Your life might just depend on it.”

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

People are just jumping on board with Apple Watch. We're starting to see them pop up everywhere and it's about to go into overdrive mode.

As always, Apple picked just the right time to announce and launch this model. We are living in the height off Apple Watch adoption. You're gonna see a lot more of these soon. Don't be surprised if you see them everywhere you go post-Holiday 2018!

”Apple Watch. Your life might just depend on it.”

Addressed in other forums is the question of whether or not this FDA approved medical diagnostic device can be purchased with tax-free HSA funds. Anyone with a definitive answer to this invited to respond (e.g. an IRS document or similar.) Those with anecdotal opinions from non-authority...well...no thanks.

Hey, maybe a good article for AI journalists to follow up on. It would get lots of hits and sell a lot of ads in the next few months.

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

Funny you mentioned this. A few weeks ago, a hardcore iHater said the Apple Watch was useless because you can just buy a Life Alert instead....

The initial reporting on the Watch was some of the worst Apple reporting in 20+ years. I remember when 2 months before the Watch was announced the WSJ reported there were all these health sensors people wanted in the Watch but the powers that be said no because they wanted to position it as a fashion item. It was so ridiculous and very clear that certain aspects of the media wanted the Watch to fail (and probably still do).

It looks so much better with the rounded corners of the display following the shape of the case. And in my opinion, I think the thickness of the bezels is spot on. I think I'm finally jumping aboard for the 40mm?

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

When have "socialists!" ever claimed such a thing of consumer tech? Please get real and leave the boogey men in your mind, where they belong.

Addressed in other forums is the question of whether or not this FDA approved medical diagnostic device can be purchased with tax-free HSA funds. Anyone with a definitive answer to this invited to respond (e.g. an IRS document or similar.) Those with anecdotal opinions from non-authority...well...no thanks.

Hey, maybe a good article for AI journalists to follow up on. It would get lots of hits and sell a lot of ads in the next few months.

Possibly if you have a true medical need, but the fact that its primary use is personal in nature could be a problem. My wife gets hers for free through her employer (health insurance broker), but she has to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a stipulation.

The initial reporting on the Watch was some of the worst Apple reporting in 20+ years. I remember when 2 months before the Watch was announced the WSJ reported there were all these health sensors people wanted in the Watch but the powers that be said no because they wanted to position it as a fashion item. It was so ridiculous and very clear that certain aspects of the media wanted the Watch to fail (and probably still do).

I have no recollection of that WSJ article, but I do seem to remember something (from one or more unknown sources) about how they're working on plenty of health-related features but will not launch them until they're ready.

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

Funny you mentioned this. A few weeks ago, a hardcore iHater said the Apple Watch was useless because you can just buy a Life Alert instead....

I do think the Series 4 is an important development, but so was Series 3. Even if we give credence to the people whining about "lack of innovation" on the iPhone, surely the fact that they've implemented two major medical sensor sets in the Series 4 watch might make up for it. (By the way, I don't give much credence to such people, because they usually say that every year, regardless of what was announced.)

The fall detection I could see as being really handy for my mother, who really can't get up on her own these days. I just have to get her an iPhone first.

The ECG, I'm not convinced can be too accurate if it's measuring from one arm to the other (wrist to index finger opposite hand), rather than on the chest, but it sounds like it's only really been approved as a precautionary thing, not as a proper diagnostic device (at least so far). The main indicator is the cautious wording of the alert when it detects an event. It doesn't say you're in defib, or having an attack, it just says "Hmm...maybe you should see a doctor. And here's a handy chart to show them when you get there."

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

Funny you mentioned this. A few weeks ago, a hardcore iHater said the Apple Watch was useless because you can just buy a Life Alert instead....

I wonder where the goalposts moves next?

How much is Life Alert?

I have no idea. Their website is a mess and still exploiting the "I can't get up!" joke. Looks like it may be free hardware on a monthly plan. So it's cheaper than Apple Watch so Apple is doomed.

It's about the same size of an Apple Watch with ONE function. It just calls 911. So the argument was useless..

"I've fallen and I can't get up. Oh wait, my Apple Watch just called 911. Never mind."

The baby boomers (me) are going to devour this device. It will quickly become the "must have" wearable for our generation. You'll know that's true when the socialists start demanding that every person over 65 is entitled to one which the government should provide free of charge.

Funny you mentioned this. A few weeks ago, a hardcore iHater said the Apple Watch was useless because you can just buy a Life Alert instead....